The Honda Foundation Fills The Dress-up Box For Kids Camps

TULLAMARINE, AUSTRALIA – February 14, 2011: The Honda Foundation and Burswood Honda in Perth have donated $4,890 to Kids Camps for new supplies of equipment and toys.

Kids Camps, a community volunteer organisation, run 22 annual camps for children with intellectual disabilities, offering meaningful experiences to enhance their social skills, learning capacity and assist in overcoming personal obstacles. Most importantly, the camps are fun and offer welcome respite for families.

Chairman of The Honda Foundation, Mr. Lindsay Smalley, congratulated Kids Camps on 29 years of service to the community of Western Australia.

“Kids Camps are an integral part of the community, offering disabled children the opportunity to interact with one another, providing memories that last a lifetime. It also gives parents and families much-needed rest from their care responsibilities,” Mr. Smalley said.

Funds from The Honda Foundation and Burswood Honda have enabled the purchase of new sports equipment, stereo and tactile toys for non-verbal children.

Kids Camps Executive Officer Sian Lambert was thankful for the donation. “The donation from The Honda Foundation and Burswood Honda has helped us replenish our tired equipment. The children especially love to play dress-ups. We have some real theatrics amongst the children and the old dress-ups had become worn and washed-out. It’s a real equaliser for the children. Everyone can play.”

Developed to fulfill a need for a trustworthy respite service for parents of children with differing intellectual disabilities, the camps cater for children between six and 18 years of age.

Mr. Bob Peters, Managing Director and Dealer Principal at Burswood Honda, commended the tireless work of organisations like Kids Camps.

“Facilitating the camps, which offer 260 spots to children annually, requires commitment from 150 volunteers, a key component in the community-minded and nurturing aspect of Kids Camps.

“Burswood Honda is committed to the local community and is proud to support The Honda Foundation’s work in ensuring community needs are met,” Mr. Peters said.

The Honda Foundation aims to provide assistance to local communities and foster goodwill among Honda Australia, Honda Motor Vehicle Dealers and the public. It draws funding from Honda Dealers and Honda Australia who donate $15 ($5 and $10 respectively) for every Honda car sold.

For more information on The Honda Foundation and the organisations it supports, please visit www.hondafoundation.org.au